Happy New Year!

When you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’re accustomed to rain, drizzle, sprinkles and showers.   But I read recently that it rained on all major holidays—including Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween—in Seattle in 2010.  So what a treat it was to spend New Year’s Day 2011 under bright blue skies and sunshine!

And I can’t think of a better way to usher in the new year than with Bella Star swinging on a mooring buoy off Blake Island.  The weather was chilly to be sure (lows in the 20s, highs in the 30s), but we bundled up, fired the diesel heater and had a fantastic time.

Here’s wishing you and yours all the best in the new year.

Bella Star on her buoy.  A lovely sight indeed.

Out hiking the trails. The fall rain and wind weren’t kind to Blake Island—trees are down everywhere and the hillside is giving way in many places.

The mighty dinghy rower!

Mmmmm… the sun felt so good.

Yep, that’s ice.

Happy New Year to all!

A Hello World Wedding

It’s been nearly two years since we took our first overnight trip on Bella Star and serendipitously met one of the greatest couples we know. We picked up a mooring buoy on the quiet southwest corner of Blake Island overlooking a small bluff with just enough room on it for a campsite. After rowing into shore, off we went to explore the island.

By the time we got back to the bluff a few hours later, a group of campers was busy setting up camp. Our little wiener dog Greta, who was always good at breaking the ice, gave us the perfect opportunity to chit chat with the newcomers. As we got to talking, one of the campers mentioned the beautiful sailboat on the mooring buoy…

And that’s all it took.

Jason and Christy shared the exciting news of their recent boat purchase and how they were headed down to Mexico in a matter of weeks to ready the soon-to-be-christened Hello World for her journey to Seattle. They told us all about their plans to quit their jobs and go cruising in Canada and Mexico the following spring. Suuure, we thought. You’re going to buy a boat and start cruising in less than a year? Good luck with that!

We spent a great evening around the campfire talking about sailing and eating s’mores and hoped we’d see these guys (including their awesome friend, Kim) again. After all, we needed to know how their story would turn out!

Fast forward two years.

Jason & Christy just returned, tan and gorgeous, from a year spent sailing their boat, Hello World, through the waters of Canada and Mexico. And Aaron & I just returned from celebrating the wedding of one of the sweetest, most genuinely fabulous couples we know. Their story has a happy ending, but really, this is just the beginning.

Congratulations on your marriage, Jason & Christy! We love you guys!

Blake Island Raft Up

With Saturday's forecast calling for sunny skies and temperatures near 60 degrees, Blake Island seemed like the ideal spot to spend a spring winter weekend.

And that we did, tied to a mooring buoy and rafted up next to our good friends Marty & Deborah on Three Sheets, their gorgeous new-to-them Island Packet 38.  Their first mate and kitty, Lily Winston Churchill, adores boat life and came along for the trip.  She bounced here and there, checking out all the unique sights and smells, and even perched on the bowsprit for a moment before Marty put a stop to such risky behavior.  She's even trained to use the head, if you can believe it.  But no, she doesn't flush.  As Aaron aptly put it, "she has people for that."

Before Three Sheets arrived, Aaron and I spent a couple hours walking the beach and trails, and thanks to a low tide, we were able to walk from the west side of the island all the way to the marina via the beach.  The tiny marina used to be an easy place to tie up and plug in, but word has evidently gotten out, as we watched a steady stream of sailboats, trawlers and power boats wind their way around the breakwater into the marina--and then right back out again.

Aaron had the camera when we saw the little guy who made these prints pawing for low-tide delicacies, but he only managed a blurry raccoon butt shot.

We knew we needed to be back to the boat before Marty & Deborah arrived, but we were having such a great time poking around the beach, we lost track of time.  When we spotted what we thought was their boat rounding the corner by Blakely Rock, we decided we'd better hustle back.  We hopped on the trail and ran as fast as our hiking boots would take us, through the woods and mud (pausing as a deer bounded across the trail in front of us) back to the other side of the island.  From our vantage point up on the trail, we caught glimpses of them through the trees.  It was a race!  As we hit the sandy beach, they were gaining on us, and we watched them get closer and closer as we ran (okay, at this point it was more of a run/walk) down the beach to our waiting dinghy.  Dude, I need more gym time.  We made it to the dinghy, heaved it down to the water's edge, pushed off and rowed back to Bella Star--just as they were approaching.  Phew.  We decided that workout burned enough calories to earn us three free drinks. :)

Here they come!

It was an awesome weekend trip, and although we've been to Blake Island many times, each trip reminds us just how lucky we are to have this little gem in our backyard--and to have great friends to share it with.  We even met the future crew of s/v Hello World and Ms. Jack Tar here!

Spring has sprung on Blake Island.

A Wet Wiener Dog and Plenty of Sunshine

The two days we spent out at Blake Island (yes, we love Blake Island) this week were fabulous! My company gave everyone a half-day on the 2nd to get a jump on the holiday weekend, and since Aaron was already off that day, we decided to get out early and head to Blake for a couple days of sunshine, hikes, beach jaunts and relaxing. We managed to get over there around 12:30, which allowed us to snag one of only two remaining mooring buoys--and it was in one of the best spots, too. Score. We got to try out our new mooring buoy hook thingy (which hooks the loop on the buoy and automatically secures itself--and the line you've attached--without the need to use all your muscles to hold onto the buoy while the current is trying to rip the boat hook from your hands so you can pull the buoy close enough to attach the line), and it worked like a charm!


After lunch, we popped on our hiking boots, dinghyed to shore (can you use "dinghy" as a verb? Why not.) and hiked around the trails. The smell of the woods in the summer is one of my favorite aromas--warm cedar and earth mixed with a touch of sweetness, like blackberries in the sun. Walking under the trees in the dappled shade (with a wiener dog leading the way) was just what we needed to put a stressful workweek behind us.




When we weren't exploring the trails, we were playing on the beach. Greta can't get enough of chasing sticks into the water--the cold, salty water. Now keep in mind that she won't swim. She wades until she almost floats off the bottom and then gently snaps up the stick and returns to the safety of the shore, ever mindful of the potentially treacherous waves. She would do it all day long if we'd keep throwing sticks! Or rocks. She's just as happy chasing the splash of a rock. And when we weren't playing on the beach, we were lounging in the cockpit reading. What a great sensation to feel like you're on vacation when you're only an hour or so away from home. Well, I suppose we technically were home (liveaboards that we are), but you know what I mean.

Semi-adventurous, stick-chasing wiener dog

Getting a towel off from mommy post "swim"

Hangin' in the cockpit (love the grin on Greta)
Being on vacation is hard work

The last mooring buoy was snatched up soon after we arrived, and it turns out that we weren't the only ones to think a few days at Blake were necessary. People were anchored all over the place! I've never seen so many boats there. Fortunately, though, folks seemed to flock to the north shore where the beach is wide and sandy, leaving us in relative peace farther down the west side and on the trails.

Despite the fact that we "vacation" here all the time, Blake Island never fails to reinvigorate us. The trails, the beach, the forest... it just never gets old. What a great way to spend a long weekend.

Orcas, and Porpoises and Sea Lions, Oh My!

The seas were particularly calm as we headed the 6 nautical miles across Elliott Bay to Blake Island State Park last Saturday. The water was glassy, and as the fog pulled back, we had great visibility. Now we would have loved for a stiff breeze to fill our sails, but we take what we can get in the winter (What? It’s spring? Nah, I don’t believe you.) So we’re motoring along when the Coast Guard comes over the VHF talking about an adrift boat off West Point. Being the curious (Aaron might say nosy) person that I am, I pulled out the binoculars to see if I could spot the boat in question. Well, I never did see the boat, but I saw something way better—J pod! The orcas that make up J pod are part of the larger southern resident population of killer whales and have been milling about off Bainbridge Island recently. Neat!

To add to the marine mammal fun we were having, a plump, whiskered sea lion swam over to check us out. No doubt he was heading for his perch on the channel marker. It must take real skill to cram all that sea lion pudge onto that tiny little channel marker.

Like it tends to be in the winter (right, right… spring), there was plenty of room for us in the Blake Island marina. Nothing beats grabbing a mooring buoy and bobbing along peacefully, but having the option to plug in a heater in this chilly weather is a plus! Besides, our new 2hp Honda outboard is sitting, fuel tank on empty, in the garage. Yes, we could row the dinghy, but that would be work.

The trails and beaches were wide open for wiener dog romping (and Canada goose chasing), and we got in a nice hike in the sunshine. We capped off the day with s’mores by a toasty campfire (ohmygosh, do I love s’mores!). Fabulous!

I know harbor porpoises are supposed to be elusive around here, but we sure see a lot of these guys. As we headed back to Elliott Bay Marina on Sunday, we got a close-up view as a pair cruised south. The Argosy boat (and the tourists) will descend on Blake Island next month, so we were pleased to get in one last relaxing visit to our favorite quick-trip spot before all the commotion starts.


Check out this video of J pod (complete with J pod babies) taken off Bainbridge last week.